EMPORIA — Washburn Rural High School's Maggie Holmberg's long-distance prowess Saturday morning was nearly beyond belief.
Holmberg, a 6-foot-1 senior, exploded for 40 points, draining 9-of-10 3-pointers in the first half and tying a state record with 11 for the game, as the Junior Blues defeated the shell-shocked Dodge City Red Demons 76-61 in the third-place game of the Class 6A state tournament at White Auditorium.
Knocking down her first six 3-point attempts, Holmberg was 7-for-8 from beyond the arc for 21 opening-quarter points. By halftime, she had made nine of her first 10 3s for 27 first-half points, as Rural opened up a 44-27 halftime lead and never looked back.
“How often do you run into that?,” Dodge City head coach Justin Briggs asked. “Not very. We didn't have an answer for her. We tried several different schemes to try to get somebody in (Holmberg’s) face. We tried to face-guard her, and we did a lot of different things.
“She came off screens really well and she was shooting lights out. That's pretty awesome for anybody. I just wish it wouldn't have happened to us. That's the best performance I've been around.”
Holmberg set a school standard for single-game points scored, topping the previous mark of 36, and narrowly missing the 6A state tournament single-game record of 42 points, set by Nadira Hazim of Topeka West (1987). Holmberg tied the all-state tournament record by making 11 3-pointers in a game, established by Miklannet Tennal of Centralia in 2000.
After one quarter, the Demons had already found themselves with a huge deficit.
“It doesn’t add up very well,” Justin Briggs said of Holmberg’s barrage of 3s. “We just kept telling them that maybe we haven't been in this situation, but we’ve been down before and have been able to keep fighting back. The girls are down for losing, obviously, but you look at the big picture and all of the things we've accomplished this year.
“No one wants to go out with two losses in a row, but 20-5 is a very good season. What a great way to get our program jump-started and ready to go for next year.”
It was nothing short of the best season in Dodge City girls basketball history. The Demons, who finished 20-5 overall, set a new standard for single-season wins, eclipsing the old DCHS mark of 18. They went 8-0 in the Western Athletic Conference for the conference crown outright, only the second time the Demons have gone undefeated in the WAC, and finished the regular season 17-3.
After beating Goddard in the sub-state title game, Dodge captured its first state tourney victory in the school annals on Wednesday, beating Shawnee Mission East.
One win from playing in the state championship game, Dodge’s hopes were doused by eventual state champion Olathe South on Friday in the semifnals. Olathe beat Wichita Heights 54-49 in Saturday night’s final, hours after Holmberg’s scoring binge against the Demons.
“Getting here and making it past that first game, these girls right here are the only girls in Dodge City’s school history to get this far and walk away with some hardware,” Justin Briggs said. “They’ve got something to be proud of and something to build on for next year.
“Our three seniors (Valerie Ortiz, Taylor Schinstock and Codi Ehrlich) were outstanding players. Each one contributed in different ways. Probably the main thing all three of them brought to our program is excellent leadership on-and-off the floor, making sure our young girls understand what needs to be done and how our program operates. Valerie has been a force for all year, for the last two or three years, somebody that we could rely on to score. Defensively, offensively, she’s the whole package.”
Against Rural, sophomore guard Kesha Buckner led the Demons with four steals, along with a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds).
Ortiz, a guard, finished with 11 points and four assists, junior forward A’zlynn Thompson totaled 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Ehrlich, a forward, had nine points and sophomore wing shooter Brenna Briggs scored eight points. Sophomore Ashley Stephenson and Brenna Briggs each had two 3-pointers.
DCHS finished 8-for-27 from long range, and Rural finished 13-for-30.
Alexa Bordewick added 11 points and Taylor Zordel scored 10 for Rural (21-4).
Holmberg entered the fourth quarter 10-for-12 on 3s and made one of six to finish 11 for 18.
“It was the last basketball game of my career and I came out pumped up,” Holmberg said. “I was on fire.”
Holmberg, a standout pitcher, is headed to Baker University in Baldwin City on a softball scholarship. Asked if she would consider playing basketball at Baker, she replied, “That would be a little much.”
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EMPORIA — Washburn Rural High School's Maggie Holmberg's long-distance prowess Saturday morning was nearly beyond belief.
Holmberg, a 6-foot-1 senior, exploded for 40 points, draining 9-of-10 3-pointers in the first half and tying a state record with 11 for the game, as the Junior Blues defeated the shell-shocked Dodge City Red Demons 76-61 in the third-place game of the Class 6A state tournament at White Auditorium.
Knocking down her first six 3-point attempts, Holmberg was 7-for-8 from beyond the arc for 21 opening-quarter points. By halftime, she had made nine of her first 10 3s for 27 first-half points, as Rural opened up a 44-27 halftime lead and never looked back.
“How often do you run into that?,” Dodge City head coach Justin Briggs asked. “Not very. We didn't have an answer for her. We tried several different schemes to try to get somebody in (Holmberg’s) face. We tried to face-guard her, and we did a lot of different things.
“She came off screens really well and she was shooting lights out. That's pretty awesome for anybody. I just wish it wouldn't have happened to us. That's the best performance I've been around.”
Holmberg set a school standard for single-game points scored, topping the previous mark of 36, and narrowly missing the 6A state tournament single-game record of 42 points, set by Nadira Hazim of Topeka West (1987). Holmberg tied the all-state tournament record by making 11 3-pointers in a game, established by Miklannet Tennal of Centralia in 2000.
After one quarter, the Demons had already found themselves with a huge deficit.
“It doesn’t add up very well,” Justin Briggs said of Holmberg’s barrage of 3s. “We just kept telling them that maybe we haven't been in this situation, but we’ve been down before and have been able to keep fighting back. The girls are down for losing, obviously, but you look at the big picture and all of the things we've accomplished this year.
“No one wants to go out with two losses in a row, but 20-5 is a very good season. What a great way to get our program jump-started and ready to go for next year.”
It was nothing short of the best season in Dodge City girls basketball history. The Demons, who finished 20-5 overall, set a new standard for single-season wins, eclipsing the old DCHS mark of 18. They went 8-0 in the Western Athletic Conference for the conference crown outright, only the second time the Demons have gone undefeated in the WAC, and finished the regular season 17-3.
After beating Goddard in the sub-state title game, Dodge captured its first state tourney victory in the school annals on Wednesday, beating Shawnee Mission East.
One win from playing in the state championship game, Dodge’s hopes were doused by eventual state champion Olathe South on Friday in the semifnals. Olathe beat Wichita Heights 54-49 in Saturday night’s final, hours after Holmberg’s scoring binge against the Demons.
“Getting here and making it past that first game, these girls right here are the only girls in Dodge City’s school history to get this far and walk away with some hardware,” Justin Briggs said. “They’ve got something to be proud of and something to build on for next year.
“Our three seniors (Valerie Ortiz, Taylor Schinstock and Codi Ehrlich) were outstanding players. Each one contributed in different ways. Probably the main thing all three of them brought to our program is excellent leadership on-and-off the floor, making sure our young girls understand what needs to be done and how our program operates. Valerie has been a force for all year, for the last two or three years, somebody that we could rely on to score. Defensively, offensively, she’s the whole package.”
Against Rural, sophomore guard Kesha Buckner led the Demons with four steals, along with a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds).
Ortiz, a guard, finished with 11 points and four assists, junior forward A’zlynn Thompson totaled 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Ehrlich, a forward, had nine points and sophomore wing shooter Brenna Briggs scored eight points. Sophomore Ashley Stephenson and Brenna Briggs each had two 3-pointers.
DCHS finished 8-for-27 from long range, and Rural finished 13-for-30.
Alexa Bordewick added 11 points and Taylor Zordel scored 10 for Rural (21-4).
Holmberg entered the fourth quarter 10-for-12 on 3s and made one of six to finish 11 for 18.
“It was the last basketball game of my career and I came out pumped up,” Holmberg said. “I was on fire.”
Holmberg, a standout pitcher, is headed to Baker University in Baldwin City on a softball scholarship. Asked if she would consider playing basketball at Baker, she replied, “That would be a little much.”
Class 6A State Basketball
Tournament
At Emporia
White Auditorium
Saturday
Third place
GIRLS
Washburn Rural High School 76, Dodge City 61
WASHBURN RURAL (21-4)
Charly Michaelis 0-1 0-0 0, Rachel Ladenburger 0-4 0-0 0, Alexa Bordewick 4-18 1-3 11, Taylor Zordel 3-4 4-5 10, Jessica Aschenbrenner 2-3 0-0 4, Kelsey Lewis 3-6 2-3 8, Katherine Scott 0-4 1-2 1, Maggie Holmberg 12-20 5-7 40, Madison Singer 0-0 2-4 2. Totals 24-60 15-24 76.
DODGE CITY (20-5)
Ashley Stephenson 2-4 0-0 6, Jasmine Estrada 0-1 0-0 0, Valerie Ortiz 3-16 5-6 11, Brenna Briggs 3-10 0-0 8, Taylor Schinstock 0-0 2-2 2, Codi Ehrlich 3-8 1-2 9, Kesha Buckner 4-9 3-4 13, A'zlynn Thompson 5-11 0-0 10, Teghan Pencis 1-1 0-0 2, Ciera Lampe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-60 11-14 61.
Washburn Rural 28 16 16 16 — 76
Dodge City 14 13 8 26 — 61
Three-point goals — Washburn Rural 13-30 (Holmberg 11-18, Bordewick 2-11, Michaelis 0-1); Dodge City 8-27 (Briggs 2-9, Ehrlich 2-4, Buckner 2-4, Stephenson 2-2, Ortiz 0-6, Thompson 0-2). Total fouls — Dodge 25, Rural 16. Fouled out — Thompson. Rebounds — Rural 40 (Lewis 10, Zordel 6, Scott 6, Holmberg 6, Ladenburger 6); Dodge 37 (Buckner 10, Thompson 7, Stephenson 5, Briggs 3). Assists — Rural 22 (Zordel 7, Bordewick 6); Dodge 11 (Ortiz 5, Thompson 4). Steals — Dodge 6 (Buckner 4); Rural 3 (Bordewick, Holmberg, Ladenburger). Blocked shots — Rural 4 (Holmberg 2, Scott, Lewis).
